Generation Glee
by Swamp Fairy
Summary: Tina is gone. Undeniably, irrefutably, irrevocably dead. So why on earth is she still attending classes at McKinley High? Glee, Generation Dead style! Ensemble story with a whole mix of couples.
1. Prolouge

**A/N: For those of you that haven't read Generation dead, the idea is that some American teenagers who die are coming back to life. Mostly they do things much slower than normal humans, though some are at nearly normal speed, and it's love that makes the difference. They're called 'living impaired' or 'differently biotic' by supporters, but bioists- those that hate them- call them 'zombies,' 'worm food,' or one of many other deragatory terms. That's about it... Go read! I own nothing.**

Prolouge

_I gotta go now. TTYL! _

Tina Cohen-Chang grinned as she pressed send, slipping her phone into her back pocket. She and Artie had been planning a trip out to the new Hall of Fame museum being installed nearby, talking about trying to get the rest of the Glee kids to come. Mr. Shue would buy into it, they were sure, and Rachel would love it.

Her life had changed so much since she had joined Glee- all of their lives had. All of a sudden they had friends, family, that they could lean on when things got hard. Other than the footballers and cheerleaders, they had been pretty much alone, every day at the prison they called a school a struggle. Now she looked forwards to waking up every morning.

She glanced up at the night sky, stars shining brightly. She'd be a star someday, she knew, shining just as bright as the little pinpricks of light up above, crowding the moon. Across the street, the little white walking man appeared and she stepped out onto the cross walk.

She was already halfway across when the car appeared, barreling down towards the intersection, weaving back and forth across the yellow dashes. It wasn't going to stop.

Tina opened her mouth in a shriek that never escaped. The car hit her head on, throwing her several yards back. She hit the ground hard, not regaining consciousness. And as the stumbling driver pulled himself out of his car, puked into the bushes, and dialed an unsteady 9-1-1, she lay twisted on the pavement, unaware of her scarlet life leaking out of her body. And the reply never made it to the mangled piece of metal in her pocket.

_K. Love u._

**A/N: Chapters will be longer- this is only the prolouge. Please review!**


	2. 1: Exsanguine

**A/N: ...Yep... Still don't own anything. No, seriously. I don't own anything**

Chapter 1

The choir room was bustling with noise as the glee kids waited for Mr. Shuester. Discussion of what the week's assignment would be, of how to get back at Vocal Adrenaline, of who had a crush on whom, filled the air. No one payed attention to the absence of one of their members, assuming it was just a sickness. Then their teacher entered the room and the kids fell silent.

His face was grave, more upset than they had ever seen it. He stood at the front of the room, looking around. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then fell silent, unable to find words.

"Mr. Schue, what's wrong?" Rachel asked at last, breaking the silence. "Is it Vocal Adrenaline? Did they-"

But he was already shaking his head. "I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. Principal Figgins decided to wait to tell the students tomorrow, but considering how close you all were, I didn't think that was fair."

A thrill of fear ran down several spines. What was he talking about? Looking around at the confused faces, he cleared his throat and began again.

"I'm sure many of you noticed Tina's absence today," he said slowly.

"Yeah," said Mercedes. "We just thought she was sick."

Mr. Schue ran a hand over his face. "She's not sick, guys. She… she… I'm sorry, I have no idea how to do this." He took a deep breath, steeled himself. "Tina's dead."

Immediate uproar. Disbelief, mostly. Only Artie remained silent, his eyes fixed on Mr. Shue. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

"She was walking home from the mall late Saturday evening-"

"She was there with me-" Kurt whispered.

"When a drunk man lost control of his car." His voice trembled with anger. "She was in the hospital for over twelve hours, guys. She fought hard, but never regained full consciousness."

A strangled sob came from the middle of the room and everyone looked over to see Rachel, biting her lip hard. "I don't believe it!" she exclaimed, blinking furiously. "It's not- she can't be- I don't believe it!" She leapt to her feet and raced out of the room.

Slowly Finn climbed to his feet, looking lost. "I'll go… I'll find her," he whispered over a lump in his throat. "I'm sorry."

Mr. Shuester looked around. "If any of you need to talk, I know Miss Pillsbury's office is always open…"

No response. He glanced over each of the kids, at a complete loss. Kurt was crying now, pressing his face into Mercedes' shoulder. She was shaking with what looked like anger. Quinn was trying not to let her tears show as she rubbed her hand over her stomach. Puck sat blankly, staring ahead. All of sudden there was a loud clatter as Mike leapt to his feet, his chair tumbling off the risers.

"Mike? Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" he shouted, jumping down and storming out of the room. Matt glanced around then silently followed his friend out.

"Her parents are holding an open memorial service tomorrow evening," Mr. Schuester said, his voice even and controlled. "I hope you'll all attend."

Puck got up and left the room without a word. Brittany was looking around, confused. "I don't understand," she whispered loudly to Santana. "Where's Tina?" Santana quickly shushed her.

Quinn glanced over. "Artie?" she asked softly. He didn't look at her. "Are you alright?"

"That's why she never answered," he said at last. "Saturday evening, we were texting. She said she had to go, and the next day, she never replied. I thought it was because I had signed my last text with 'love.' But she never… she never even got it…"

"Artie-" Mr. Schue started, sympathy burning bright in his eyes.

"I'll see you at the service," he muttered, turning and wheeling himself out of the room.

* * *

Rachel sat against the row of lockers in the midst of the empty hallway. Outside the window, half of the sun still peered up over the horizon, tinging the sky a bloody red, but Rachel ignored the view, staring down at the linoleum and trying, trying not to cry.

There was a clang as a backpack hit the lockers, then Finn slid down next to her. They sat silently for a moment, both struggling against tears.

"I just can't believe it, you know?" he muttered at last. "I mean, it was only a few days ago that she was here, singing her heart out with the rest of us… I mean, I can't imagine Glee without her."

She nodded, sniffing and he continued. "This is hard for all of us, and..."

"I would really like to be alone now," she interrupted in a quiet voice. He gave her a quick one-armed squeeze and rose to his feet, brushing a few stray tears off his cheeks.

"I'm always here for you," he said softly. She watched as he disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Puck stormed down the hallway, kicking each locker he passed. He didn't hear anyone approach, but suddenly, there was a restraining hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see Finn watching him sympathetically.

"What?" he growled. Finn shrugged. "Mr. Schue wanted us to know that her parents are holding a memorial service tomorrow night," Puck told his friend.

"Are you going?" asked Finn.

"Nah," Puck said dismissively, his throat burning. "I mean, I barely knew her. I doubt I said even two words to her."

"She was one of us," Finn said quietly. "And you're just as upset as the rest of us. You put on this macho act, and I really get sick of it sometime. Does it really cost you that much to let your feelings show every once and a while?"

"If you get so sick of it, then what the hell are you doing hanging around?" Puck demanded, shoving past him. "Just leave me alone, dude. Just leave me alone."

* * *

Matt had said even less than Puck's two words to her. He knew Tina only as the goth girl in Glee his best friend had a crush on. So he couldn't figure out just why he was so upset as he chased after Mike down the echoing hallways. He wasn't in any of the classrooms, or the boy's locker room, or the cafeteria, so Matt was extremely out of breath by the time he tracked down his friend out in the bleachers overlooking the football field. Wheezing a little more than he would have liked, he collapsed beside him.

Mike sat silently, stilly, not a single tear staining his face, staring out into the setting sun.

"We were walking to math class together, Friday afternoon," Mike murmured at last. "Laughing about something stupid, just the normal stuff. If I'd have known it was the last time I saw her, I would've… I don't know. But it would've been different, right?"

Matt nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"I mean, you don't think about it happening," he continued. "Not to people our age. People we know. Old people, sick people, they die, sure. And kids in big cities get killed. But not normal kids. Not here in Lima. And not _her_. She's always been there. I mean, we were in pre-school together."

"Yeah," Matt muttered.

"And she was so good," Mike said. "She was going places someday. She was… she was…" He dropped his head into his hands, crying for the girl who'd never known how he felt. Matt just stared out at the sky.

"Yeah," he repeated. "Yeah."

* * *

Quinn forwards to Mercedes. "Someone should follow him," she whispered, thinking of Artie. But Mercedes shook her head, wrapping an arm around Kurt.

"I'm sorry, Quinn," she said. "But not yet. I can't deal with anyone else's sadness. Not yet." Quinn looked around, feeling lost. Mike and Matt were gone. Finn and Puck were gone. Rachel was gone. Santana and Brittany were holding on tight to each other in the corner, trapped in their own bubble, and Mr. Schue had dropped down into a seat, looking exhausted, his body shutting the rest of them out. Shouldn't they all be supporting each other now?

Quinn dropped back into her seat, covering her face in her hands. What was she thinking? Of course they were running off- they had just found out that their friend was dead. Her eyes welled up again at the thought. She couldn't handle this, too. Not on top of everything else.

* * *

Artie had no idea where he was going. He just knew he had to get away. Away. That was the only thought pulsing through his mind as he wheeled himself furiously out of the school. He didn't have to think about it anymore. Turn left, down the hall, turn right, right again, down the ramp, around the left side of the school and out onto the street. From there to home. But today he wasn't going home.

He turned right outside the school, silently thankful that there were no pedestrians around, watching with their damn pity. He didn't need it. Not now. Not ever. He just needed to get away. Just needed to escape. And so he rolled and rolled and rolled, heading straight without a destination in mind.

He couldn't have been going for more than fifteen minutes when he reached the end of the suburban, soccer mom houses and started past the farmland. All of a sudden the going got much tougher as his wheels stuck in the gravel, stuck in the mud, stuck in the weeds. But he kept pushing, kept moving forwards, until his shaking arms were about to give out. And only then did he stop and allow himself to face reality.

Tina, his Tina, was gone. Dead. She was never coming back, and there was nothing he could do about it. He leaned over the edge of his chair and was sick into the field. His stomach hurt, his head hurt, his chest hurt. He couldn't breathe, didn't want to breathe. He wrapped his head in his arms and finally let himself sob.

**A/N: You know who loves reviews? I DO! Please lemme know what you thought. One more mopey chapter, then guess who's crashing the party...**


	3. 2: Nonviable

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Appreciate them muchly =) Glee finale? Those Glee producers proved, yet again, that they are brilliant beyond a level we, mere mortals, could ever hope to mantain. Just to be clear- Jesse is in VA, Quinn is still pregnant, Emma/Will aren't together and neither are Fin/Rachel in this story.**

Chapter 2

The next day was hard for all of them. Principal Figgins came on the loud speaker during first period and delivered the news, saying only that she had been killed in a car accident, that this was a perfect example of the dangers of drunk driving, and that counserlors were waiting in the media center if anyone couldn't stay in class. It was clear very few people even knew who she was, and even fewer were upset- her only friends were in Glee. And of course, they were all devasted and no one could figure out why.

Brittany started crying (Santana had finally explained it to her) and her teacher made her leave the room, even though she didn't know where the media center was. So she wandered the halls, make up streaking her face, until a tentative voice called out behind her.

"Britt?" Mike called. She turned around and gave him a small smile. "Are you lost?" he asked. She nodded. "Come on, then. I'll take you to Santana."

"Are you sad too?" Brittany asked, walking with him. He nodded, staring down at his untied sneakers, but didn't speak. "Did you like her?"

He looked up in surprise, shocked that the spacy girl would have noticed. But the 'like' was said without emphasis. It was an innocent question, so he simply nodded.

"Brittany?" Santana called from down the hall. "Ohmygod, I've been looking all over for you!" She raced down the hall, wrapped her arms around her friend. Mike stepped awkwardly away. It was only very close up that you could tell that the exotic cheerleader had been crying.

"Santana?" Brittany asked, stepping back. "Can we go somewhere that's not here?" Santana leaned in, laughing sadly, and brushed the golden hair off of her face. She held out her pinky. Linking them, the two strode off down the hall way, not casting Mike a single backwards glance. He didn't move for the next quarter hour, a boulder in the river of kids flowing around him as the bell rang.

* * *

Artie could barely stand it when Figgins came over the loud speaker, speaking so calmly. He could barely stand it when his teacher lectured them on the dangers of drunk driving. He could barely stand it when the boy next to him asked his friend who she was. But it was when the friend responded "the creepy goth chick" that he snapped.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed. "You don't know anything about her! None of you do!"

Eyes burning, feeling sick to his stomach, he spun and wheeled himself out of the room. Blindly he headed to the media center, no idea of where else to go. When he got there, the only other ones there were Quinn, off in the corner, and Kurt, head down on a desk. He glanced around uncomfortably and immediately saw a genuinely upset Emma. He started over to her, but one of the state-hired counselors jumped on him far too eagerly.

"Are you here because of Tina Cohen-Chang?" the man asked, pronouncing her last name wrong. Artie winced at hearing it spoken aloud but nodded, resigning himself to a god-awful feelings talk. "And how did you know her?"

"Glee Club," he muttered, his voice hoarse and sullen even to his own ears. "We were friends." He didn't know why he didn't want to tell the man she was his girlfriend, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to do it. The past tense was killing him.

"I'm very sorry," the man said sympathetically, his bright eyes gleaming in his round face. "It must be very hard for you."

He shrugged, wishing he could escape.

"I mean, you're already disabled, and now to lose a friend… care to tell me how you're feeling?" Thankfully Quinn had noticed him and strode over.

"Thank you, doctor," she said smoothly, taking his handles. "If you don't mind."

Artie nodded up at her once they were out of his sight, over in the corner by the window, unable to bring himself to thank her. She smiled and settled back into her seat, continuing with her book.

* * *

Rachel glanced around, wondering if she was in the right place. But just then Matt jumped out of a nearby car. Breathing a sigh of relief, she headed over to him, glancing around curiously. Tina's parents had chosen to hold the service at a large covered gazebo down by the only real river anywhere near Lima. Late at night you couldn't even see the water, only hear it.

"You came," Rachel said simply.

"Yeah," Matt said. It was becoming his catchphrase. "You did too."

"Do you think Artie can get down there?" asked Rachel anxiously, peering down at the thick mud pulling at her shoes.

"Do you think he's coming?" Matt retorted.

Rachel looked startled. "Of course he is," she said. "He was closer to her than anyone."

"That doesn't mean he's coming."

"Hey, guys," Finn spoke, coming up behind them. Rachel turned around to face him, eyes wide and sparkling with tears. Neither of them noticed as Matt disappeared down to the Gazebo.

"It seems like I haven't stopped crying yet," Rachel said, attempting a smile. He stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest, fighting back sobs, as he soothingly rubbed his hand over her shoulders. Taking a deep, shaking breath, he bent his head down, burying it in her hair. They remained motionless for a moment until a new voice interrupted them.

"Uh… little help?" Artie asked, trying to force his wheel chair through the unyielding mud.

"Of course, dude," Finn said, leaping to his aid, practically having to lift the chair as he forced it forwards. "How are you doing?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" Artie said, sounding more weary than accusing. Rachel kept pace besides them. "It's not about me."

"I think it's gonna be about you if you go all suicidal on us," Finn joked, but it fell flat. Rachel let out a little squeak of horror and Artie didn't respond.

They all breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the wooden gazebo and Artie grabbed at the wheels, rolling away without a word. Kurt and Mercedes were over on the bench overlooking the river, Kurt leaning his head on her shoulder, her arm around his waist. Quinn, appearing right behind Rachel, made her way over to them and they made room for her on the bench.

Matt was standing next to Mike, the Asian boy's head bent, hiding his face. Santana and Brittany were lost in the shadows, locked in an embrace, and Artie had wheeled over to the small pile of pictures and other precious things of hers. A small group of adults- her parents and their friends, Finn guessed- were standing in a huddle in the corner farthest from the water, speaking softly. Miss. Pillsbury stood awkwardly off to the side. Nearly everyone was here.

"Sorry I'm late," Mr. Schue said softly. Upon seeing him, Emma gave a small smile of relief and rushed over to him, speaking softly and quickly. He nodded seriously, murmuring a reply. Just then, however, another person appeared behind him.

"Sue," Schuester hissed. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I'm a teacher, William," Sue said. "And though you may think I don't care about anything but winning, you're wrong. I know ever student at this school."

"Really?" Will demanded. "What do you really know about her? What gives you the right to be here?"

"I have as much a right to be here as you do," she said, her voice dangerous. "What gives _you_ the right to decide who gets to grieve?"

"I'm sorry," he said reluctantly, backing down. "I was out of line. Come join the party."

"Excuse me," said a small man at the front. Several of the kids recognized him as Tina's father, and the others were able to guess. "Thank you all for coming. It means so much to see you all here…" He broke off, wiping at his face with a handkerchief. "If you would like, you can light a candle and send it down the river."

He and the other adults made their way down to the muddy bank. Slowly the kids followed.

"Mr. Schue?" Artie asked tentatively as the teacher started down the hill. "Do you think you could help me?"

"Of course," he answered gently. Just then, another face appeared in the open gate. Puck.

"What did I miss?" he asked gruffly.

"Not much," Mr. Schuester said knowingly. "Come help me." Puck lifted one end of the wheelchair, Mr. Schue the other, and together, they made their way down to the river.

**A/N: Actually, I lied. Another depressing chapter is up next, THEN the fun begins. Promise. Please review! Pretty pretty please with sprinkles on top!**


	4. 3: Mourir

**A/N: As always, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Hope you enjoy! I don't own anything.**

Chapter 3

The parents went first, showing the others what to do. The candles were short, wax dried onto small glass bowls. They each set one alight, then pushed it off into the water. Everyone watched silently as the flickering lights grew smaller. Then Rachel stepped up and without a word, they handed her a candle one. She lit it up, long shadows growing down her face. She closed her eyes, breathing in the smoke, then gently set it in the water, not opening her eyes. Finn walked over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, lighting his own candle, almost imagining that he could see the dead girl's face in the flames.

Mike's hand was shaking so hard when he tried to light it that he dropped the match, burning his other arm. "Shit!" he shouted, leaping backwards. The curse was unbearably loud in the silence and her parents glared at him with the same expressions on their faces. Sensing that his friend was about to explode, Matt stepped over and helped him light the candle and set it in the water. His face was inscrutable as he watched it sail away.

Santana lit the candle and Brittany set it in a water, the two linking hands as they watched it float down the river. Mercedes and Kurt each did one, dropping them into the water at the same time. Kurt's tipped over and fizzled out but Mercedes' sailed away with no problem. Quinn stepped forwards and lit her own, silent tears streaking down her face, her other hand resting on her stomach.

Puck emerged out of the shadows, ignoring Finn's tentative smile and lit his, more anger than sadness on his face as he watched it sail away. Artie slowly reached forwards and picked up his, running his hands over the glass bowl, reaching out and taking the proffered match. He held it up to the wick, watching as it flared to life, dropping the discarded wood into the mud. "I'm sorry," he whispered, so soft the others could only see his lips moving. "I love you, Tee. Miss you." He pressed his lips to the cool glass, squeezing his eyes shut, then placed it in the water, watching as it drifted away.

Emma and Will sat silently, side by side, a little ways downstream, watching as the candles floated past. He was immersed in mud and she sat on a spread blanket, knees tucked up to her chest.

"I see these kids," he murmured, "And they just look so… crushed. Defeated. She was such a good girl, you know? She wasn't bossy like Rachel, and never complained like Mercedes and Kurt tend to. She really cared about Glee Club, just the way you were supposed to. She was so sweet."

Emma was watching him curiously. "Say her name," she said at last, gently.

"What?"

"You know what I mean. Say her name."

He turned away from her. "Why?"

"Have you said her name since she died?" she asked.

"Have you?" he retorted.

"Tina Cohen-Chang," she said calmly. "Your turn."

"Tina-" He choked on the words, tears springing to his eyes. Emma reached out and took his hand. "Tina Cohen-Chang." He blinked up at the stars. "We miss you. We're thinking of you. Can you hear me?"

"I'm sure she can," Emma answered. "Wherever she is."

* * *

Will reclined in his chair, head back, eyes closed, barely listening to the news playing on the TV. Something about the warfare in Darfur. The oil spill in New Mexico. Then something about the living impaired. Everyone knew about them- the American teenagers (and now there were two or three in Canda) who were coming back to life. Everyone knew about them, but at the same time, they didn't seem quite real. There were fewer than a dozen in all of Ohio, and none anywhere near Lima. He raised his head at last and changed the channel, just a knock rang out on his door.

"Coming," he called, turning off the TV and stretching. He opened his door, slammed it shut, and toppled over backwards with a shriek he would later deny.

Tina stood outside his door. He climbed to his feet. It couldn't be. He was imagining it. He rose to his feet, whole body shaking, and peered out the peephole.

"Mr… Schue?" she asked in the flat, slow speech they all used.

"Tina?" he whispered, his voice cracking.

"Please," she said, and if there was any expression on her lifeless face, it was despair. "My parents… wouldn't… let me in…"

"Yeah," he said, licking his lips, mind working over time. She was back. _She was back._

"Thank… you," she said, walking in painfully slowly. He shut the door and backed up against it, staring at her. She turned around.

"I shouldn't… have come… I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I didn't… know… where else to go…"

"No," he responded quickly, a thousand different emotions racing through him. Shock was foremost. "You're fine here. We can… we can… hang on, I need a minute."

He raced into the bathroom, leaned against the sink, staring into the mirror. He was wild eyed, his face pale and shining with a layer of sweat. He ran his hands under the water, as cool as it went, and wiped his face off on the towel. When he went back in the living room, she was still standing in the same position he left her in, staring blankly at the door. At the sound of his footsteps, she turned around and attempted a smile, the very corners of her mouth twitching up briefly then falling. He looked her over- she still looked the same, mostly. Pink streaks in her dark hair, wearing the same clothes she had been in at school on Friday. The shirt was stained with dried blood. She was pale, however, her eyes glassy and unfocused.

"You can sleep in here," he said blankly. "We can fix the couch up…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry. What am I doing? You're alive again." With an only slightly forced laugh, he quickly hugged her. "We need to get this sorted out. You can't stay with your parents?"

Twice as slowly as the… er… normally biotic would, she shook her head.

"Alright, then, you can stay here, at least for now. Do you… okay, do you want to go back to McKinley?"

"Not… yet," she answered. "But eventually."

"Alright then," he said. "Planning. We need a plan. Tomorrow I'll get you re-registered, and you can go back as soon as you're ready. Do you want to stay in Glee?"

"I don't… want to make… things hard… for anyone," she said. "Ask… the others… first."

"I'll do so," he said. "Do you… you know… sleep? Or eat?"

"I don't… know," she said. "I don't… think so." She hesitated. "I'm… scared."

"No, Tee, we'll take care of you," he said at once. "I'm here for you, and I'm sure the others will be too."

**A/N: Awesome. You know the drill- review!**


	5. 4: Pulseless

**A/N: To all the reviewers- thank you so much! I still don't own anything. But did you hear? They're writing an official Glee book! Lemme know if you want the link to the website.**

Chapter 4

Mr. Schue wasn't sure quite what to do- scream? Cry? Break something? In the end, he went to school, suffered through his Spanish classes, and headed down to Principal Figgins' during lunch. And of course, I'm sure you all know who else was there, playing devil's advocate.

"This is insanity!" Sue exclaimed. "It's dead! You can't possibly let it back in the school."

"She's certainly not dead," Mr. Schue protested. "At least, not any more."

"Sue, there are more and more different biotic people every day," Figgins said. "We cannot pretend like this isn't happening."

"Exactly. She's just a 16 year old girl who wants to go to school!"

"It's devil spawn," Sue said dismissively. "Worm food. It shouldn't be allowed to walk among normal people. It's stench certainly can't be good for my cheerios."

"She doesn't smell!" Will snapped angrily, turning to Figgins. "Please, sir."

"Alright. We'll try it. But any trouble and she's out of here."

"Thank you."

Artie went to class. He took notes. He answered questions. He went to lunch and ate with Kurt and Mercedes. Not one of them spoke. He went back to class. Turned in his homework. Rolled down towards Glee. He did everything he was supposed to, smiling when it was appropriate, even laughing once or twice. His paralysis had given him practice on acting like everything was fine while inside, he was breaking apart. Every time he laughed, he wanted to cry. Every time he spoke, he wanted to scream. Overall, he just wanted to curl up in a ball in his closet and not come out.

Kurt wasn't doing too much better. He was too upset to even wash his hair last night. Mercedes seemed to understand- she skipped her math to go to science with him. The teachers didn't care. They stayed together the whole day, physically and mentally leaning on each other. They offered to go with Artie but he simply shook his head, turning and wheeling away without a word. The two friends just exchanged a glanced and linked arms, needing to know that they had each other.

Rachel was teary the whole day, falling asleep in three different classes. She was fragile, much more so than the others had guessed, and this had pushed her over the edge. Finn rescued her right before fourth period, pulling her out of the hall ways and to the bleachers where a blanket and pillow were arranged. He sat with her until she finally fell asleep for real.

Puck was a machine of destruction, slamming anyone who dared to get in his way into the walls hard enough to break something. Quinn followed him around, cleaning up anyone he beat up too badly and trying fruitlessly to calm him down. Brittany and Santana ditched the whole day, locking themselves in the storage closet in the girl's locker room for a teary make out session. Mike ditched, too, and Matt tracked him down up on the school roof with a bottle of beer and a cigarette (he had drank before, but never smoked).

However, every one of them made it to Glee practice. When Mr. Schue entered, they were sitting mostly silently, several faces still tear-stained. As he took his place at the front of the room, he wondered at the curve balls life seemed to throw at him. Only two days ago, he had been standing right in this position to tell them their friend was dead. And now he was standing here to tell them she was back.

"I'm sure that you've all heard to the living impaired," he said. "Or maybe you know of them as differently biotic."

"You mean zombies?" Mercedes asked.

Mr. Schuester shook his head. "That's a derogatory term," he said. "But yes, essentially. Do you know how many there are?"

"Over 500," Puck answered. "Right?"

"Yes, though they aren't exactly sure. Well… this is almost as difficult to say… Tina's back."

Silence. Immediate and total silence. Several mouths fell open.

"What… what are you talking about?" Rachel croaked.

"She came back. She's alive for a second time."

"Where is she?" Mercedes asked, blinking hard. "She's not going to like, jump out of the closet, right?"

"No. No, she's at my house."

"Why?" asked Quinn.

"Her parents were… unable… to deal with this, right now. I reenrolled her McKinley. She'll be back soon-"

"She's coming back?" Santana demanded. "A zombie, here at McKinley?"

"Not a zombie," he corrected. "A friend. And she would like to come back to Glee, but she told me to ask you first. We can take a vote." He had hoped that they would all accept her, but thinking about it, that was too much to ask of them. They were only kids themselves, really. Hopefully enough of them would want her back. "All in favor of her coming back?"

Mike's hand was the first one up, Rachel's only a heartbeat behind. After only slight hesitation, Kurt and Mercedes nodded at each other and put their hands up. Quinn put her hand up, too. Brittany put her hand up, but Santana angrily hissed in her ear and she lowered it again. Mike turned to Matt. "What the hell, dude?" he demanded. "You and Tina are friends!"

"No," he said flatly. "You and Tina are friends. I don't have anything against her, but the thought of someone dead dancing and singing with us… it's just wrong." Santana nodded, but Mike, eyes sparkling with tears at his best friend's betrayal, rose and moved down to sit next to Mercedes. Finn was last to raise his hand.

"All against?" Mr. Schue asked, chest tight with relief. That was more than half of them. But then he saw something that tightened his chest for a different reason.

Santana raised her hand. Puck raised his hand. Matt raised his hand. Bittany didn't move, staring down at the floor. This wasn't a surprise. But over on the far side of the room, Artie raised his hand.

"Artie?" he asked quietly. "This is Tina we're talking about."

"No," Artie said wearily, shaking his head. "Whatever the hell that thing is, it isn't Tina." Without another word, he turned and wheeled away, leaving Mr. Schuester to wonder how he was supposed to tell the dead girl that the boy she cared about the most was the most against her.

**A/N: Goodness. Now. Just one more thing... please review!**


	6. 5: Deceased

**A/N: Everyone who had reviewed- thank you so much. I own very, very little. Just a puppy who eats my eyeliner.**

Chapter 5

"You ready to go back to McKinley tomorrow?" Mr. Schue asked. They sat at either end of his dining room table- he ate and Tina watched him. It made him fairly uncomfortable- he had been horrified when he found out that she was dead (he wasn't quite willing to admit how had he had cried that night) and he knew he should have been happy, but somehow, though he was watching her, he couldn't think of her as her.

"I… suppose so," she answered, a strangely frightened tone to her voice. "What about… Glee Club?"

"They wanted you back," he said. She relaxed, her lips twitching up in a smile.

"Did anyone... not?" she asked.

"That wouldn't be fair," he said. "Privacy and all that."

"Just… so I can… stay away from them," she said. "I… don't want… to make anyone uncomfortable."

"Alright," he said reluctantly, but she was right, it was better that she knew. "Matt didn't want you back, Puck didn't want you back, Santana didn't want you back- Brittany wanted you, but Santana made her put her hand down- and… and Artie didn't want you."

Her face crumpled, at least as much as the faces of the living impaired faces could. She tried to shake it off but something in her face had died. Her eyes didn't show emotion- didn't show much of anything, even the color was faded- but he could tell that something was differeny. He had killed her hope. Desperate to do something to make it better, he got up and walked around the table, sat beside her, and took her cold hand.

"It's alright," he said softly. "Do you know what the first thing he said when he found out you had died was?"

"What?" she asked.

"That he thought you hadn't answered his last text on Friday night because he had signed it with love. It was worse for him knowing that you hadn't ever gotten it. He will come around, Tina. They all will. And until then, you have the others."

"Yes." She smiled. "I can't… believe… that Rachel was willing… to have another… competitor… for solos. Not that... I can sing."

He laughed, truly laughed, for what felt like the first time in what felt like years.

* * *

Tina took a deep breath, staring up at the doors of McKinley High. She had been afraid to go to school before, but never quite like this. She knew how people treated the living impaired, she watched the news. That was enough to scare her. But what truly frightened her was seeing the reactions of her friends. Were they still her friends?

It came much sooner than she had expected. There was the touch of a light hand on her shoulder, briefly as a heartbeat, simply to command her attention. She turned- even slower than normal- to see a teary eyed, hesitantly smiling Rachel.

"Tina?" Rachel asked softly. Tina nodded, hope blossoming through her not-beating heart.

"Can I hug you?" the living girl asked. Twitch of lips showing the dead girl's smile, she nodded, relief spreading though her. Laughing now, Rachel wrapped her arms around her neck, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I'm so glad you're back!" Rachel squealed. "I missed you so much! I'm so sorry I was always so awful to you."

"No," Tina said slowly, her arms only just finding their way to Rachel's back. "You were... are... a good friend."

Just then, a loud cry erupted from behind them and Rachel was pushed aside as Tina found herself spinning through the air. When the pair of strong arms had set her down, she looked up into a beaming Mike Chang's face.

"I can't believe it," he whispered hoarsely. "I just wanted to die. I missed you so much." He clasped her to him, grabbing Rachel in the hug, all three of them clutching at each other for life (or, in Tina's case, reanimation), ignoring the stares of the other students passing by. At last the bell rang and they separated. "See you later," he called, dropping a kiss on each of the girls' cheeks before turning and rushing away. Tina and Rachel had their first class together, pre-calc, so they walked through the halls together, Tina infinitely relieved to not have to do this alone. Rachel slowed her pace to match hers, and didn't say anything even after the late bell rang.

Tina hesitated at the door and Rachel reached over, squeezing her hand, and walked confidently in at her side.

"Late, Ms. Berry," their teacher droned, then he looked up and his expression upon seeing Tina was almost comical. He cleared his throat once, twice, a third time. "Ah, yes. Ms. Cohen-Chang. They told us you would be returning to class…" The two girls took their seats together in the back corner, Rachel shooting a death glare at anyone who dared look at them wrong, and believe me, there were plenty. But at last, Tina allowed herself to relax. Maybe she would get through this.

* * *

Mike was thrilled. No, Mike was ecstatic. Seeing her again had been like stepping out of the boy's locker room onto the football field. It had been better than that. It had been like he was high, like she was a drug. His drug. Holding her close, her hair in his face, had been almost too good to be true. He was on cloud 9, strolling down the hall, and not even seeing a scowling Artie or a glaring Matt could bring him down. She was back, and nothing, _nothing_ else mattered. Nothing could faze him today, he thought confidently. At least, that's what he thought until he passed Karofsky spray-painting his locker with dripping green words. _Devil Worshiper._

"Hey, necrophiliac," the bigger footballer player sneered as he passed by. "How's the Satan Spawn?"

Face flushed, eyes dark with anger, Mike hurried past them without saying a word.

* * *

Matt had seen her in the halls, walking with Rachel. He had wanted to stop, wanted to say something, _anything_, but his feet didn't halt, his head didn't turn, his mouth didn't open. He had passed Mike, too, who had quite clearly also seen her, judging from the dopey expression on his face. It all made him so angry. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn't pretend she didn't exist, not when he did care about her, no matter what he told Mike, but he couldn't pretend everything was normal, either. It was all so messed up.

It was when he passed Mike's locker though, that he really got angry. _Devil Worshiper _was scrawled across it in bright green letters. And talking or not, fighting or not, Mike was his best friend. So he headed into the boys bathroom, grabbing at a handful of paper towels and running them under the faucet. He scrubbed at the paint, ignoring the pointed glares from several passerbys. By the time it was even half off, he was late. But he kept wiping, not even noticing the angry tears burning in his eyes. And he kept telling himself that it was Mike he was doing this for, Mike and only Mike. And he knew he was lying.

* * *

"I… can't do this," Tina whispered, eyes wide with horror, staring into the lunch room.

"Yes you can," Rachel said perkily. "You've done this much, right? I'll be right here."

"And so will I," said Mike all of sudden, appearing behind them. "Hey, Tee. Hey, Rach. What's up?"

"She doesn't want to go in. But Kurt and Mercedes are dying to see you," Rachel told her. "Can't disappoint them, can we?"

"Alright," Tina breathed. "Alright." Together, the three of them walked in. Mercedes and Kurt saw them at once, climbing to their feet and slowly, as slowly as Tina at full speed, walked over.

"Tina?" Mercedes asked, eyes shining. Kurt had no reservations. Laughing and crying at once, he wrapped his arms around her, and within seconds, Mercedes had joined. It would have been perfect if Tina hadn't seen Artie, wheeling out of the cafeteria as fast as he could possibly go, his face damp with what looked suspiciously like tears.

**A/N: Goodness. Now. Just one more thing... please review!**


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